Probate-Probate Court

It depends on the caliber of the accountant/accounting firm and the complexity of the work.

Generally, for very easy, routine work, and the cheapest accountants in town – you could expect to pay between $40 and $75 per hour.

For moderate work, with an established firm – base rates start at $85 per hour, and CPA and manging partner rates are about $120 per hour.

For work done by the best of the best — a Big 4 Firm, expect to pay at least $180 per hour.

To give you an idea of time— A basic personal income tax return takes about 90 min- 2 hours.

Accounting for an estate – if an attorney or the executor do all the legwork and have all the necessary documents – could take between 4 and 20 hours of work. This depends on the complexity of the estate as well.